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“If you are thinking 1 year ahead, sow seeds.
If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant trees.
If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people.”
http://www.savetherainforest.org

Introduction
What began as a simple post about a small purple berry from the tropical rainforest of the Amazon, has grown into a 3-part series. I found I couldn’t just talk about one berry without starting from a much bigger perspective.

No Small Matter
See, for me, anything pertaining to the Amazonian rainforest opens up a conversation that is almost as expansive, powerful and important to our existence as the entire region itself. So welcome to Wellness from the Amazon, Part One: Seven Things You Should Know About the Rainforest.

Entering the Territory
I enter this conversation with the same respect and awe that I would enter the rainforest were I traveling there with you today. I did my best to be thorough in my research, to check my facts, and to remain as neutral as possible throughout the series. Any errors are my own and I welcome input that will help me correct them.

Pachamama Alliance
My awe and respect for the tropical rainforests of the Amazon began many years ago when my husband Steve and I were introduced to The Pachamama Alliance. We were so moved by their commitment to partnering with the Achuar, (the indigenous people of Ecuador’s rainforest region), we made our own commitment to contribute what we could from that moment on. Pachamama’s mission statement appears below:

Continued Education
Our commitment and understanding about the rainforest has grown through the years. In addition to the work of Pachamama in Ecuador, we’ve also learned about other rainforest areas of the Amazon and efforts underway that help preserve the Brazilian rainforest. Through it all, we’ve come across a number of facts and resources that would be our honor to pass along. The list appears below:

 

7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE RAINFOREST

1. The Amazon rainforest covers over a billion acres and encompasses areas in the Eastern Andean region of Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia. If the rainforest were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world.

2. More than 20 percent of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest. It is often referred to as the “Lungs of our Planet” because it provides the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen.

3. More than 50% of the world’s estimated 10 million species of plants, animals and insects live in the tropical rainforests. One-fifth of the world’s fresh water is in the Amazon Basin.

4. The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified more than 2000 plants that are active against cancer cells. 70% of these plants are found in the rainforest. Twenty-five percent of the active ingredients in today’s cancer-fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest.

5. Human-caused deforestation (including logging, mining, heart-of-palm harvesting) is destroying our rainforests. If such deforestation continues at current rates, scientists estimate nearly 80 to 90 percent of rainforest ecosystems will be destroyed by the year 2020. Research shows that this destruction is the main force driving a species extinction rate unmatched in 65 million years.

6. Harvesting the 100-foot Euterpe oleracea palm trees in the Brazilian rainforest or in Ecuador for hearts-of-palm is a big contributor to deforestation there. Once the heart-of-palm is cut from the tree (for sale at market), death of the entire tree is not far behind.

7. These same trees also yield the dark purple Acai berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee), which has high nutritional value and antioxidant benefits. Teaching people that harvesting the berries, instead of the heart-of-palm, will help protect and perpetuate the remarkable ecosystem known as the Amazon in which Acai palm trees grow.

Resources for Learning More

A. Websites:

The Pachamama Alliance –
http://www.Pachamama.org

The Nature Conservancy -
http://www.nature.org/rainforests/explore/facts.html

Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Tree project –
http://www.plantabillion.org/

SavetheRainforest.org
http://www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_007.htm

B. Books:

Lessons of the Rainforest
by Suzanne Head, Robert Heinzman
Published by Sierra Club Books
ISBN: 0871566826

Rainforest
By Ben Morgan, author, The Rainforest Foundation, foreword, and Thomas Marent, photographer
Published by DK adult
ISBN: 978-075661940

C. On-line Video:
Story of Pachamama Alliance
http://www.pachamama.org/content/view/262/97/

The next installment of this series will pick up from here - with a discussion about the powerful nutritional implications of the Acai berry!

To Your Wellness,
Erica

P.S. I’d be delighted if you’d like to share additional resources pertaining to the rainforests of the Amazon with us. Of course, I adore all comments!

Tags: Acai & Rainforest, General Wellness Tips, Nutrition, Matters of the Heart, Spirit by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Even though I come from a family of avid golfers, and grew up with the game surrounding me, I am not a golfer.

What I do have though is a profound respect for those who do play, a love for the aesthetics of beautiful golf courses and an unexplainable obsession for watching masterful golfers and gleaning lessons I can apply to my own life.

So yes, I was glued to the TV for days watching Tiger Woods win this latest U.S. Open. Especially the round on Father’s Day, the play off round on Monday and the subsequent sudden-death game that resulted in his win. The man never ceases to amaze me.

I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned from watching Tiger play this past week and how I will put it to use. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. I’m not privy to the inside of Tiger’s head…if I were, I’d guess that his mindset FROM THE OUTSET of this U.S. Open was: “I’ve WON the 2008 U.S. Open”.

2. Like a pilot with a specific destination (let’s say Kansas), he knew where he was headed. He had a clear intention. In fact he already saw in his mind’s eye that he had arrived at his destination.

3. Also like a pilot, he had to do course-correction along the way. I imagine when a shot didn’t go as planned, even let’s say an hour before the tournament ended, he didn’t say to himself, “Oh crap, I’m not going to win now”, any more than the pilot would say,”Oh crap, I’m not going to land in Kansas” when the wind shifted a bit and the course had to be altered an hour before landing. I’ll bet instead Tiger’s thinking went something like:

4. “Okay, now what? Since I see myself as ALREADY HAVING WON THIS THING and I project to an hour from now when I am holding that trophy, WHAT DID I DO AT THIS POINT SO I WOUND UP WINNING?”

5. And then he just did the next thing he had to do…he did the next thing that his “winning script” (which was written in terms of the future) already said had happened to get him the trophy. He put ALL HIS FOCUS ON THE SHOT HE WAS TAKING AT THE MOMENT, knowing IT WAS IN SERVICE TO THE GOAL HE HAD ALREADY ACHIEVED IN SOME FUTURE STATE. In the present, he isn’t griping that he has to get out of the sand trap or rough (okay, maybe for a split second) but then, he immediately focuses and just gets out because he knows that’s what will have happened in the script of his already having won that trophy.

6. I truly think he enjoyed the process. (Okay, maybe not the knee pain, but certainly the chance to focus and apply his skill.)

7. In my own life, I have a few “trophies” that I want to attain or cultivate. Some are intangible trophies like peace and joy. Others are tangible like a clear business goal and a fitness goal. I am committed to spending time each day seeing the future “script” of myself as already in possession of these things.

8. And I am committed to simultaneously focusing on each task in front of me that is a part of that “script” with mindfulness.

9. I am committed to shortening the time I spend griping about unexpected sand traps. (I mean really, yes I might be bummed, but how much preciouis time do I want to hang out there?)

10. I’m committed to refocusing on the needed course correction that is already a part of my future success script. (My friend and financial mentor, Loral Langemeir, calls this future pacing.)

11. I’m committed to enjoying the process.

I sure have no inkling whatsoever to pick up a golf club, but God, I love golf. And thanks, Tiger. You’re the best business and wellness mentor I’ve ever “hired”.

How about you? Love to hear if any of this makes sense in your life…

Tags: I've Been Wondering..., General Wellness Tips, Spirit by Erica Ross-Krieger
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Wellness - a small word with big implications. So big, that some people are overwhelmed by the idea. Overwhelmed because they think they have to take big steps, make major shifts, and do so all at once, right now. It’s no wonder.

Just reading the front cover of a popular wellness magazine this morning, I saw admonitions that I, while reading this one issue, should: “Change the Way I Eat; Change the Way I Exercise; Improve My Meditation Techniques; Revamp My Yoga Practice; Hire a Personal Trainer; Achieve My Ideal Weight; Stay Calm.” Yikes!

Of course, you could get equally overwhelmed by reading every single post I’ve put on this blog and expect yourself to implement everything – and implement all of the tips all today no less. But that’s not the way I approach wellness in my own life, and it’s not the way I want to promote wellness here. I’m a big believer in keeping things meaningful and simple.

Keep it simple.
You can begin to make a difference in the wellness of your life and business with your next breath. You already have the blueprint for doing so within you. With simple attention and a commitment to your inner nature, you can begin today to uncover or rediscover that blueprint.

5 Simple Ways to Bring Wellness into Your Life

1. Honor your breath.
Right now. Without changing a thing, what do you notice about your breath? Is it shallow? Fast? Slow? Your breath is the source of your life. Taking time to notice it each day, in the midst of business and personal life tasks, is a powerful way to honor your inner nature.

2. Clarify your values.
What’s important? Personally and professionally, what do you value? Efficiency? Joy? Education? Recognition? Identify your Top 3 Values and post them on your calendar or dashboard. Refer to this list as you make choices throughout your day, especially the choices you know will impact your overall wellness level.

3. Make a mini-assessment in 1 hour. Assess your life, your business and your actions.
Are your values evident in your personal and professional life? Are you walking your talk? Take your Top 3 Values and spend an honest hour with yourself as you assess your life and business. Is there one small but high-leveraging change you can make? When and how will you do it? Go ahead. Shift something right now.

4. Discover what you love.
What makes your heart sing? What fills your soul at this stage in your life? Sometimes we get stuck in routines and wake up to find we are far away from doing what we love. Tame the Gremlin® that tells you that discovering what you love takes a lot of work. Keep it simple. If you had plenty of time and money, what would you be doing? Why? Take some time to write your answer (or speak it into a tape recorder). Find a way this week to start doing something you love. Review this tip often.

5. Focus on your strengths.
What do you do well? What comes easily? Are you overlooking any personal or professional strength that others see? List your Top 5 Strengths. Now ask 2 people (whose opinions you respect) to do the same for you—have them include any character attributes, business practices, or life skills they admire. Combine the information. Keep the final list handy and review your strengths often.

Bonus Tip: Read Something Inspirational
It’s amazing to me that the simple act of reading a short haiku, a small poem, an ancient fable, or an inspiring essay, can open up new space in the day. Find a collection of your old favorites, or discover a new one. Place Seven Sacred Attitudes® on your nightstand for easy morning or evening inspiration.

Invitation: Choose to take one of these simple tips and start cultivating wellness with your next breath!

Keep us posted: I haven’t done a few of these myself in awhile, so I’ll be looking at #5 today. How about you?

Tags: Wellness Coaching, Wellness of Your Business, General Wellness Tips, Spirit by Erica Ross-Krieger
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